The Char Dham Yatra 2026 formally commenced on April 19, 2026, with the opening of the gates of Gangotri Dham and Yamunotri Dham on the auspicious occasion of Akshaya Tritiya, marking the beginning of one of Hinduism's most important pilgrimage circuits in the Garhwal Himalayas of Uttarakhand. The sacred palanquin of Goddess Yamuna departed from her winter abode at Kharsali for Yamunotri Dham, while the palanquin of Goddess Ganga departed from the ancient Bhairav Temple at Bhairavghati for Gangotri Dham, followed by elaborate Vedic rituals at both sanctums. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami formally announced the opening, saying state preparations had been completed for an expected high-volume yatra. Yamunotri will remain open from April 19 to November 11, 2026 and Gangotri from April 19 to November 10, 2026; Kedarnath will open on April 22 and Badrinath on April 23. New rules for the 2026 season include strict crowd management at sensitive temple zones, prohibition of mobile phones and cameras inside the temple premises of Kedarnath, Badrinath and Gangotri, and continuation of the mandatory online registration system. Yamunotri remains open to visitors of all faiths. The state has deployed enhanced security, telemedicine posts, glacier health monitoring teams and dedicated SDRF mountain-rescue units after lessons learnt from past stampede and weather incidents.